Are there any changes in TD qualification requirements proposed for the end of the year? I am very close to being able to take the ANTD test under the current rules and I am hoping those won’t be changed in a way that would put me further away from that goal.
Tim Just would be able to answer more completely. The only specific change I can remember him asking me about is that experience at submitting tournaments (and presumably memberships) online will now be required for the Senior (or higher) levels.
The current rules for your purposes are the same as the 2008 rules that you can find on the USCF home page (Activities & Interests —>Forms—>TD Certification Rules.pdf (http://main.uschess.org/docs/forms/TD%20Certification%20Rules.pdf). Yes, last year in 2008 we did tweak the rules to require that TDs at the Senior level and above have experience submitting events on-line.
So far we only plan to change how we list N1 and N2 events (as presented to the delegates and then sent to the Board for implementation, where they were approved). So instead of a long list of events that NTDs and ANTDs can/can not be the chief TD of, we came up with a formula (based on the size of a National tournament) and some exceptions (based on importance).
Thanks to some work by Bob Crume, that made the TD certification rules more user friendly, we are working on reformatting the TD Certification rules (not the content, just the format).
Our current plan is to have those N1 & N2 definitions plus the document reformat both ready by, or near, January 1, 2009 for posting on the Web.
Thanks for the prompt response. That is exactly what I wanted to know.
So, did I sneak in before the rules got harder or should I have waited a little longer for “easier” requirements? 
- Enrique
Unless I misread what Tim wrote, Enrique, they haven’t changed the requirements for taking the ANTD exam (beyond requiring experience at online submission), they only changed which events require an NTD.
Whew!
Of course with my luck, the Amateur will now be a tournament that doesn’t require an NTD. 
- Enrique
The changes:
- Category N.
A tournament that awards a national title. It is strongly recommended that for these types of tournaments, TDs have experience with computer pairing programs, back room pairing procedures, and on site player contact, or “floor,” problem solving procedures.
Subcategory N1: Any national tournament that averages over 150 players in a five-year period plus the U. S. Championship, U. S. Women’s Championship, and U. S. Junior Championship.
Subcategory N2: Any national tournament that averages 150, or less, players in a five-year period, excluding the U. S. Championship, U. S. Women’s Championship, and U. S. Junior Championship.
Notice how quickly one moves from “what a silly requirement” to “it’s a good thing to have strict standards”.
Just the irony of me finally getting my NTD certification and not “needing” it any longer.
- Enrique
Tim, it would be helpful if each new version indicated the changes since the previous version and the Rulebook. Several changes this year are available:
BlitzRulesChanges.pdf 12-Dec-2008 35K
RulebookChanges-Dec08.pdf 12-Dec-2008 114K
RulebookChanges.pdf 12-Dec-2008 114K
RulebookChangesAug08.pdf 11-Dec-2008 191K
We have been posting the document as we get it from the Rules Committee. I think each one is a comprehensive list of changes since the rulebook was published, but will pass your suggestion along to David Kuhns, the chair of the Rules Committee.
The ‘RulebookChanges.pdf’ file is intended to be a pointer to the most current version of that file, so when the next update is posted that pointer will be revised to point to the new file.
I believe the ‘BlitzRuleChanges.pdf’ file is the full contents of Chapter 11 of the USCF rulebook.
This time around the Rules Committee took charge of reviewing and posting the rules changes since the publication of the 5th edition. Dave Kuhns is the chair. I reveiwed the document and contributed some material but Dave was the main force behind that document this time around.
A complete format change to the TDCC certification rules will probably be posted around the start of the year. The only “rules” change in that document is a change from a list of tournaments to a formula for deciding if an ANTD or NTD can direct certain tournaments in the N1 and N2 categories. There were no TD qualification changes in the new document since the 2008 posting.
The challange in either document is that different people at different times take charge of creating those documents (such is the lot of a volunteer organization). The volunteer only passes their work along to someone else. That next person may or may not be currently in charge of posting those documents and may or may not have the time to do the required work to finish the job.
In general, I don’t believe volunteers should have the authority (or access) to post something like a rules update to the website, that task should be restricted to USCF staff.
The person preparing the document needs to know which staff members can post it, though, so it gets posted promptly. It doesn’t do any good to send it to person ‘X’ if that individual can’t post it.
I would include a designated individual at national events in that ‘staff’ list, though, as we need someone to be able to post things such as pairings and standings to an appropriate place in a timely fashion. I will be working with Phil Smith (the usual ‘designated individual’ at national events of late) to set up an appropriately restricted login on the new website for this purpose that can be used at national events.
Phil RULES!!!
Unless Pat overrules.
